David Livingstone completes his transcontinental African journey

Background. Livingstone's fame as an explorer was tied to his desire to end the East African slave trade through geographical discovery. He believed that solving the mystery of the Nile sources would give him influence among men to remedy that immense evil. His subsequent exploration of the central African watershed marked the culmination of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa. On the 1852–1856 crossing he mapped most of the course of the Zambezi river.

Transcontinental Crossing. The expedition began in 1852 when Livingstone traveled to Linyanti, where Chief Sekeletu granted him authority to investigate trade routes. With 27 Kololo warriors as guides, the party faced profound difficulties, reaching Luanda on the Atlantic in May 1854. Livingstone survived near-death from fever before continuing the crossing to the Indian Ocean.

Arrival at Quelimane. Quelimane, a seaport in Mozambique and the capital of Zambezia Province, served as the endpoint of Livingstone's west-to-east crossing. The town stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais. Livingstone successfully reached this Indian Ocean port in 1856, completing the journey that had started on the Atlantic coast.